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Pleasant View History

As early as 11,000 B.C., Native Americans traveled through and lived in much of Northern Utah including what is now Pleasant View. Locally discovered relics indicate that some may have lived here for extended periods of time. The area was dotted with wigwams, long before the first trappers, explorers, and pioneers arrived in Pleasant View. In 1824/25, trappers from the Ashley-Henry Fur Company spent time trapping the Weber River and its tributaries and it is likely they spent some time trapping around Pleasant View and North Ogden. The Ashley-Henry Company included such legendary trappers as John Henry Weber, Jim Bridger and Johnson Gardner. In September of 1843, John C. Fremont stopped at the hot springs in Pleasant View as part of his exploration of the Great Salt Lake Valley even taking time to analyze and describe them.

From all available written accounts, it appears that the Simeon Cragun family was the first to settle in Pleasant View. Among the early settlers were Daniel Campbell, John Mower, James Maycock, Dr. Ezra G. Williams, Charles H. Rhees, Samuel Ferrin, John Johns, and Edward Davis Wade. Their first homes were built out of logs, years later settlers would build their houses of adobe, and eventually William Godfrey would erect the first brick house in Pleasant View. A splendid patch of trees, tall and straight, suitable for building purposes, stood at the foot of Mount Ben Lomond on the upper edge of Pleasant View town site, and was often called "Pole Patch” by the pioneers.

The most frequent tribe that visited the area was the Ute tribe, led by their chieftain, Tobe. Indian trails crossed Pleasant View from the Willard area and for 50 years after the first settlers arrived the Indians would continue to make their southeast trek, now through town, at least yearly. While camped here they visited every house in the community to trade for supplies before moving up the North Ogden Canyon for the summer to fish and hunt. In the fall, they again returned to the Pleasant View area, camping and drying fruit and meat. Indian inhabitants settled along the small creeks in this area, commonly camping in the fields belonging to the Humphreys and Rhees. Food for their ponies, which they occasionally traded to area residents, was plentiful, hunting in the Pole Patch area and nearby hills was alluring, and the Utah Hot Springs were well known for their medicinal purposes.

The first settlers were not concerned with community boundaries. Being west of North Ogden, they were identified as the West End, the West District, Stringtown and finally became known as Pleasant View. The town was named by Wilford Cragun, the first of the pioneer's children born in the settlement. It is said that Wilford looked over the community and remarked that it had a "pleasant view'. The city would go on to be one of the first rural communities in the state to have a local railroad or streetcar service.

Although the Pleasant View area was first settled in 1851, the city did not become officially known as Pleasant View until 1882. Pleasant View City became incorporated on August 27, 1945. Odell Kirk was the first town president. Other town presidents and mayors were: Paul B. Cragun, Eldred H. Erickson, Leon B. Jones, Peary B. Barker, Timothy W. Healy, Richard G. Diamond, Ron Horton, and D. Brent Hales, James Fisher, Michael Wright, and Timothy M. Wheelwright, Douglas Clifford, Toby Mileski and currently serving as mayor is Leonard Call.